Baccara

Not really a film noir,but a pleasant comedy inspired by the Stavisky affair ,which Alain Resnais adapted for the screen in 1974.

A rich banker is actually a crook .His mistress,an alien ,wants to become French and the only way is to marry a French,a man of straw .One of her friends ,a lawyer ,finds the man in a million:A gambler ,short of the readies .When the con man runs away ,his lover is in big trouble and she 's arrested ,accused of being an accessory to theft ,by attracting men in the banker's desirable mansion .Her "husband" who has fallen in love with her ("I wish she were ugly!") comes to her rescue ,and when everybody turns his back on her ,he forces the cowardly lawyer to defend her .

Jules Berry is irresistible as the husband of a marriage of convenience and he gets good support for Marcelle Chantal ,Lucien Baroux and Marcel André.The trial is a good moment ,half farce half drama.

This elegant film is written and directed by Yves Mirande with cinematography by Michel Kelber and Philippe Agostini. It is notable for the presence of Jules Berry, a brilliant and mercurial actor whose performances in 'Le Jour se leve' and 'Les Visiteurs du soir' guarantee him filmic immortality. I have always likened him to a thoroughbred racehorse and his energy and class dominate this film entirely. Marcelle Chantal is languorous, wears the gowns well and has a devastating smile but is an actress about whom it is difficult to enthuse. Lucien Baroux shows excellent timing in his scenes with Berry and exhibits a very pleasing singing voice. He was to star in 'Moulin Rouge' for the same director in 1940. The courtroom scene is marvellous and the final shot of the three leads walking off arm in arm is unforgettable. A pleasing, charming and delightful film featuring a masterclass by Monsieur Berry.